Find your way back home
by Skovko
Summary: Sitting at a diner with his two best friends and suddenly he stops mid sentence and just stares at the woman standing in the door. Eight long years without a word and he actually thought she was dead. So many things left in the past suddenly come crashing in and he's not about to let her slip away again.
1. Eight years

"That was a heavenly burger," Dean said.  
"You're gonna die early if you keep eating like that," Seth admonished.  
"But I actually liked my life while living it," Dean grinned.

Seth shook his head and let out a little laugh before turning his attention towards Roman.

"And how was your food, big fellow?" He asked.  
"It was..." Roman started.

His unfinished sentence hang in the air while he just stared towards the door and his whole facial expression changed. Dean and Seth both turned to look towards the door as well and there, with her hand still on the open door, stood a woman with piercing green eyes that stared back with the same facial expression as Roman.

"Roman?" Seth asked lowly.

Roman almost flew up from his seat, strode towards the woman fast and engulfed her completely with his broad arms. Her hand left the door as he moved them both outside. The door closed slowly while Seth and Dean just stared from their seats through the glass. From the way Roman's shoulders shook up and down, it was clear their friend was crying. Whoever this woman was, she had to mean something more than just the avarage friendship. They got up from their seats and walked outside. As they opened the door, the sound of both Roman and the woman crying reached them.

"Roman?" Dean asked concerned.  
"Right," Roman said.

Dean's voice had brought Roman back to where he was and he leaned out to look at her face. His hands moved her hair behind her head while he smiled through his tears.

"Look at you," he said and choked back a sob that threatened to come out. "You've become even more beautiful with age."  
"Stop," she whispered and blushed.  
"Don't tell me to stop," he chuckled a little. "Eight years, Sage. I thought you were dead."  
"Still standing," she tried with a little smile.  
"Eight fucking years and not one single word," he shook his head.  
"Sorry," she said. "Can we not do this right now?"

She looked behind him and he remembered that Seth and Dean were still standing there. She was right. This wasn't a conversation they should be having in a parking lot in front of a diner with his two friends watching without him at least introducing them first.

"This is Sage," he said as he turned around to look at his friends. "And these are my two best friends Seth and Dean."  
"Never thought I'd actually see your faces on anything else than my tv," she said.  
"You watch?" Roman asked.  
"Of course. How can I not? I always knew you'd make it," she answered.  
"You always had faith in me," he remembered.

He reached for her hand and interlocked their fingers. Her hand still fit perfectly in his.

"So you live here now?" He asked.  
"No. At least not yet. I was actually on my way in to ask if they need any help and if the answer is yes, I'll stay for a while," she answered.

He looked at the backpack hanging on her back, wondering if her entire life was packed in that little thing. Somehow he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

"So where do you live?" He asked.  
"Oh, you know. Here and there. Ever since I left our old town, I haven't really stayed in one place for long," she answered.  
"And why did you leave?" He asked.

They both took a deep breath while his question hang in the air for a few seconds.

"You know why," she answered lowly.  
"We had a fight. Big deal. Couples fight," he said.  
"Are we gonna continue the fight right now?" She asked.

He looked into her eyes, those piercing eyes he had dreamed about many times and feared he'd never see again, and he knew they weren't. Not now when he had finally found her again after all these years.

"Come back to the hotel with us," he said.  
"Yeah, about that," Seth started.  
"What?" Roman asked.  
"Sasha," Seth reminded him.  
"Right, Sasha. Fuck! She's not gonna like this," Roman bit his lip. "Can she stay in your room?"  
"Sure," Dean's smile lit up the half dark parking lot.

They shared the back seat together in their rental while Seth and Dean sat up front as always. So many things Roman wanted to say, to ask, to know, but there was time. He had found her and he wasn't about to let her slip away easy again. It had been eight long years in torment and silence. Eight long years where no one knew anything. Eight long years where he had thought she was lying dead somewhere and her body was yet to be found.

"We'll talk in the morning," he said as they stopped on front of Dean and Seth's hotel room.

He didn't want to let go of her and leave her in their room. Not that he worried anything would happen, he knew his friends would never do anything to her, he just wanted to be there too. In there with her.

"I'll still be here," she smiled. "I promise."  
"You better," he said.  
"Don't worry, big fellow, she's not gonna get past me," Dean grinned.

He watched as Seth slid the key card through the lock and the door opened. Seth and Roman locked eyes quickly and nodded. Sage was gonna be safe with them. No questions asked.

"Goodnight," he said.  
"Goodnight, Roman," her voice was the last thing he heard before the door closed.

He continued down the same hallway, passing three doors before stopping in front of his own room. He let out a heavy sigh before sliding his key card through the lock and entering the room. He kept the light off as he got out of his shoes and jacket and walked towards the bed. He started undressing in the darkness, hoping this would be one of the rare occasions she was actually asleep already.

"Where were you?" Sasha asked from the bed.  
"Out with Dean and Seth. You know that," he answered.

They hadn't even been gone for long and he hadn't left her in the dark about what they were planning to do and still she always suspected something. He knew he had to be up front, be as truthful as possible right away, or everything would crash down in the morning.

"I ran into an old friend I haven't seen in eight years," he said.  
"That's nice," she said in an unfriendly tone.  
"Yeah, it is," he smiled in the darkness.  
"What's his name?" She asked.  
"Sage," he answered.

He knew he should tell her Sage was a woman and not a man but he just didn't wanna fight right in that moment. Technically he wasn't lying. Her name was Sage. It didn't matter that Sasha would assume Sage was a man for the rest of the night. He would deal with it in the morning.

"What are we gonna do? We only got two single beds," Seth said.  
"Can I take a shower before we get into that?" She asked.  
"Of course," he answered.

Dean pulled his tee over his head and dumped it on the floor.

"Can I borrow that?" She pointed at the tee.  
"Ehm... I guess," he answered.

She picked it up and moved towards the bathroom which made Dean chuckle.

"You don't trust us?" He asked. "With your backpack, I mean."  
"There isn't actually anything worth stealing in it. Just clothes. Living like I do, you just tend to keep your shit close, you know," she answered.

She disappeared out in the bathroom before he could say anything else. They waited a couple of minutes until they finally heard the shower start.

"I think she might be the one," Seth said.  
"Which one?" Dean asked.  
"The one Roman's mentioned those few times he's been dead drunk," Seth answered.  
"Oh, the conversations he conveniently never seem to remember in the morning," Dean chuckled. "You might be right. He did say eight years and dead drunk Roman always talks about one that got away."

After her shower she walked out in Dean's tee that was big enough to cover her to her knees. They watched as she emptied her packpack of clothes on the floor and moved the items into some sort of pillow.

"You guys mind if I borrow your jackets?" She asked.  
"No," Seth tilted his head to the side as he wondered what she was up to.

She grabbed their jackets and tossed them on the floor before lying down on her homemade pillow and pulling one jacket over her legs and the other over her upper body.

"Goodnight," she said as she turned over on her side.  
"You don't seriously expect us to let you sleep down there?" Dean asked. "Roman's gonna kill us."  
"Then don't tell him," she said.  
"It's gonna be uncomfortable as hell," Seth said.  
"I've had worse. Now go to sleep, please. You use your bodies for work so you need the beds. And you paid for them. It's only fair," she said.

Seth and Dean exchanged a look from each of their beds and Dean just shrugged his shoulders before lying down under the covers on his bed. There wasn't any point in arguing with her all night when she clearly had made up her mind already.


	2. Friends

When Seth opened his eyes next day, he was surprised that she was already fully dressed. Her clothes were packed away in her backpack again, their jackets were hung back up and even Dean's borrowed shirt she had slept in was folded and placed beside his bed.

"You didn't run," he sent her a little smile.  
"I wanted to," she smiled back.

He sat up and swung his legs out on the floor.

"Look, I don't know who you are and what kind of past you and Roman share exactly but I do know that he doesn't usually respond to anybody the way he did to you last night so you're important to him," he said.  
"I was at some point. He was important to me too," she said.  
"Rough past?" He asked.  
"Not so much between him and I. He was my light in the darkness," she answered. "It was when he wasn't around, everything was rough."  
"And still you disappeared and left him," he said.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds. She knew he wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable on purpose but that was exactly what he was doing. He was just looking out for his friend and she was happy that Roman had friends like that. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again before steering the conversation in another direction.

"Is she good to him?" She asked. "That girl. What was her name? Sasha?"

He sighed as he thought about what do answer. He wasn't sure if he should tell her the truth or lie.

"She's a wrestler too," he chose an easy way.  
"Oh, that Sasha," she nodded. "It must be new since it isn't reported anywhere."  
"You follow him online," he grinned.  
"Hard not to," she admitted. "But you're dodging my question. Is she good to him?"  
"I'm not sure what to tell you," he said.  
"She's a bitch!" Dean let them know he was awake too.  
"Dean," Seth tried.  
"Cut the crap," Dean said.

He kicked off the covers and moved up to sit, shaking his head a bit and stretching his body.

"It won't get us anywhere to bullshit around this thing. Sasha's a bitch and Roman's not happy," he continued.  
"Sometimes he is," Seth said.  
"He must see something in her if he's with her," she said.  
"I'm sure he does," Seth said.  
"Me and Seth just don't see it," Dean said and held up his hand before Seth could say anything. "Just shut up, Seth. You don't like her either."  
"She's a bitch," Seth agreed lowly.  
"He must love her though," she said.  
"I think he does. He says he does," Seth said.  
"That's good," she said.

She tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. It didn't matter how she felt about it. She blew it eight years ago when she ran away without a word. Roman deserved to be happy no matter who he was with.

"Alright, do I personally have to kick you into the shower? What does a girl have to do to get breakfast around her?" She put on a little fake laugh.

Almost an hour later they finally made it downstairs to get breakfast. They sat down and waited a couple of minutes until Roman and Sasha finally showed up.

"Who's the ring rat?" Sasha was in her classic bad morning mood.

Roman sent Sage an apologetic look. He was good at containing his anger in public and he didn't wanna cause a scene but he was mad. Sage was nowhere close to being a ring rat.

"Sasha, meet Sage," he said.  
"That's Sage?" Sasha spat. "A girl? You said it was a man!"  
"No, I told you her name. You just assumed she was a man," he said.  
"And you didn't think to correct me?" She was fuming.  
"No, I didn't, because I wanted a fucking night of sleep and not fight like you always wanna do!" He snapped.  
"Well, excuse me for wanting to keep my man to myself!" She sneered.  
"That's just it! You don't fucking trust me!" He sneered back.  
"Because you give me no reason to!" She yelled.

She turned on her heel and disappeared quickly. Normally Roman would go after her to smooth things out but as his eyes landed on Sage, his body automatically sat down on the chair next to her. He could deal with Sasha later.

"Sorry about that," he smiled at her. "How did you sleep?"  
"Just fine," she answered.  
"She slept on the floor," Seth said.  
"What?" Roman asked.  
"She refused swopping places," Dean said.  
"Sage..." Roman's voice trailed off.  
"The carpet was soft. I slept just fine," she smiled reassuringly. "And I don't wanna be the reason one of them screw up their backs and can't do their job."  
"There's no arguing with this one," Dean chuckled.  
"I know," Roman shook his head with a little laugh. "I remember all too well."

They sat there for 30 minutes while eating breakfast and smalltalking.

"We better get on the road," Seth looked at the time. "We'll get a McMahon spanking out of this world if we arrive late."

Roman felt his heart tighten in his chest. He had only just found her the night before after eight long and gruesome years. He wasn't ready to leave her again already.

"Where are you planning to go from here?" He asked.  
"I don't know," she scratched the back of her head. "Look, Roman, I'm kind of just scraping through life, going wherever the wind takes me."  
"You got money?" He asked.  
"No," she looked down ashamed.  
"Were you planning on ditching us with the bill for your breakfast?" Dean chuckled.  
"I was actually planning on sneaking out," she confessed.  
"Don't fucking steal around us," Roman sighed. "I'll pay and you'll get your ass out in the rental and come with us."  
"No, Roman," she tried.  
"It's not up for debate. I promised you many years ago to take care of you although I wasn't exactly picturing it going like this," he stood up. "Get your ass out in the car or I'll drag you out there."

Knowing he wasn't joking around, she went back with Seth and Dean to grab their bags and followed them down to the car where Roman was already waiting with his bag.

"You don't ride with Sasha?" She asked.  
"She's too good for us," Dean rolled his eyes and made his voice sound high pitched. "Roman, your friends always laugh at me and they don't smell good. I wanna ride with Bayley."  
"Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about," Roman said.  
"But it's true," Dean grinned.

They all entered the car and shortly after Seth had them on the road.

"So why did you leave?" Roman suddenly asked.

She sighed and shook her head with a little smile. That slick fucker, waiting till he had her cornered in a moving car she couldn't get out of before poking into that conversation again.

"That night you just kept going on and on how things were gonna change one day," she said.  
"But I was right," he said.  
"I didn't need one day that night. I needed that moment. I just needed you to hold me and you wouldn't shut up," she said.  
"And we ended up fighting over something so small and silly," he remembered.  
"I went home afterwards and my father was in one of his moods," she said.

Dean turned his head enough to look at Roman while Seth made do with the rear view mirrow. All three people in the car watched as Roman tensed up and clenched his fists. Dean and Seth both looked at each other. They knew something was up but didn't dare say anything. Instead they just listened as she started sharing.

 _She walked back home with tears running down her cheeks. Why couldn't Roman understand that she couldn't make do with dreams and hopes when reality was one big hell that she had to fight on a daily basis? He always tried to see a brighter future for her, for them together, but he was dreaming. Dreams she couldn't share. Her father was never gonna let her leave and Roman already knew that._

 _She tried being quiet as she entered the house but of course he heard her. Her footsteps and her cries. He always did. She stopped as he suddenly stood in the open door to the livingroom, leaning up against the doorframe with his arms crossed and that mean look on his face._

 _"What the hell are you crying for?" He asked._  
 _"Nothing," she kept her head down._  
 _"You answer me when I ask you a question!" He sneered._

 _He demanded respect as always. She didn't respect him though. She hadn't respected him in years, not since her mother left and he started taking out his anger on her instead._

 _"It's that Roman boy, isn't it? You're always running around with him, being a no good whore just like your mother was," he said._  
 _"At least she did the smart thing and left your pathetic ass!" She shot back._

 _She knew she was in trouble as soon as the words had left her mouth and just a second later the back of his hand landed across her face and sent her straight down to the floor._

 _"She left you too, you little bitch!" He sneered._  
 _"Because she knew you were gonna chase her down and drag her back if she took me. She never thought you would start hitting me too," she cried._  
 _"Get up!" He sneered._

 _He grabbed her hair and pulled her up as many times before. She never got used to the pain and as always she screamed and tried to grab his hand to ease the pressure on her scalp. He pushed her up against the wall and grabbed her throat instead._

 _"Look at you!" She defied him again. "What a man you are! Beating your own wife and then your own daughter! You're a fucking joke of a father!"_  
 _"A joke with a gun and a badge," he reminded her._  
 _"What are you gonna do? Shoot me and say I came at you? Go ahead! Being dead sure beats being around you!" She sneered._  
 _"Fine, you wanna leave, then fucking leave!" He pushed her towards the front door. "See how well you'll survive on your own! Leave like your whore-mother did!"_

For a short while the tension and silence laid heavy and thick in the car. Seth and Dean kept their eyes on the road but they heard everything. She just looked at Roman while he took in every word she said.

"He did that many times but he never really let me leave. You know all this," she said.  
"So what was different this time? And why didn't you come to me?" He asked.  
"I did. I ran straight to your house, thinking you would be just as miserable like me after our fight that evening, but I saw you and your parents through the window. You were happy. You were laughing," she said.  
"Ah, shit," it came back to him. "I was sad when I went home but there was a letter waiting for me. I had been accepted into the wrestling school I most wanted to attend. I realized I could finally take you out of the town. Just throw you in my car and drive and once we were over the city line, he had no restriction to follow us," he said. "You must have gotten by just as we were reading the letter."

She blinked and stared at him. She felt tears slowly form in her eyes. Had she really run away for nothing? She knew it hadn't been for nothing. She had seen a chance and taken it while she could, before her father came back around and started searching for her. And he always searched for her. She hadn't realized her tears had started falling until Roman reached over to dry her cheeks with his fingers.

"How did you get out of there?" He asked.  
"I walked from your house and suddenly found myself at the train station. A train was about to leave and I just stepped aboard it without knowing where it went. I dropped my phone in a trash can on the train station just before stepping aboard so he wouldn't be able to find me. I had no plan and no money. Just the clothes on my back. I just knew I couldn't do it anymore," she said.  
"Baby girl," he said lowly and took her hand.

For a second she froze at his old nickname. How she had missed hearing him calling her that but it was just a slip up or a way to be friendly. She wasn't his baby girl anymore. Sasha was.

"It was so fucked up. I was 20 years old and legally allowed to leave and yet he forced me to stay. What the fuck can you do when your father is the sheriff?" She shook her head.  
"He's not anymore," he said.  
"He's not?" She asked.  
"You haven't kept track for all these years?" He asked.  
"No. Well, of you I have, but I left my father and that town in the past. What happened?" She asked.  
"He fell into the bottle some years back. Well, officially. He always drank in secret but I don't need to tell you that," he answered.

She nodded and concentrated on breathing normally so new tears wouldn't form.

"I went to your house next morning to show you the letter so that we could finally start planning our future," he said.

She snapped her eyes back at him.

"He said you were out, sorry for using his direct words, whoring yourself out. And then he laughed and said you would probably be back for dinner as always. But you didn't come back. You never came back. I searched for you and he searched for you. He even accused me for hiding you somewhere," he said. "Man, I wish."  
"I'm sorry, Roman," she said.  
"You came back. Somehow you found your way back to me," he said.  
"Yeah, eight years too late," she giggled sadly.  
"It's never too late to become friends again," he said.  
"Yeah, friends," she let go off his hand and stared straight ahead. "We can be friends."


	3. Renting rooms

"Roman Reigns," he gave his name at the counter. "And I need a single room for this one too."  
"What?" She looked at him.  
"You can't keep crashing on their floor," he chuckled.  
"I don't mind. It's free. I don't want you to pay for me," she said.  
"Tough shit because I'm getting the room whether you use it or not," he said and winked.

She shook her head and gave him a little smile. There was no point in arguing with him. She knew he would book the room no matter what and it would only make her feel more guilty if she didn't use it.

All four of them took the elevator together but Seth and Dean got off before her. She had to go one floor further up and Roman went with her even though his room was on the lower floor as well. He unlocked the door and walked in ahead of her but she didn't complain. He was allowed in there if he wanted to be there.

"This will do," he said.  
"It sure beats the floor," she dropped the backpack. "Thank you."  
"Anything for you," he said.

He pulled her in for a hug, a hug that lasted longer than it should, and they just stood there in silence on the floor for a while.

"I've missed you so much," he said.  
"Come on, you had a good life without me," she let go of him and walked over to the window. "You're one of the top stars and you got a beautiful girlfriend. You made it, Roman. You fucking made it."  
"I would have made it with you by my side too," he said.  
"No, you wouldn't," she sighed. "My father would always have stopped us somehow. I had to run that day when I finally had the courage and the chance to get far before he would even notice I was gone."

She didn't need to turn around to see he was standing right behind her. She felt him even though he had crossed the floor soundless.

"I got out, Roman. That's all that matters," she said.  
"But at what cost?" He asked.

She couldn't stop the tears from running down and she held her breath in hopes of him not discovering she was crying. Of course he knew. He always knew. He spun her around and she released her breath, allowing herself to cry and once again being swallowed by his big arms.

"It was a price I had to pay," she said. "I'm sorry but I can't go back and change the past."

He backed them up to the bed and sat down before pulling her down on his lap.

"Hey, I'm not mad at you," he said softly. "But you gotta understand how hurt I've been for all these years. I thought you were dead."  
"I'm sorry," she cried.  
"It doesn't matter now," he rocked her slowly. "You're here now and I won't let you run off again. Promise me you won't run off again."  
"What's your plan? Renting rooms for me all over?" She asked.  
"Yes," he answered.  
"Roman," she shook her head.  
"No, this is how it's gonna be. How we always planned it to be," he said.  
"We planned to be in the same room," she chuckled a little.  
"Yeah well, plans sometimes change a bit but the essence is still the same," he said. "And I won't take no for an answer."

His phone beeped and he moved her away from his lap and down to sit on the bed. He found his phone and sighed.

"It's Sasha. She has arrived and wants to know our room number," he said.  
"Go. She's your girlfriend. Don't anger her any further by being in my room," she said.  
"She'll warm up to you," he smiled.  
"Yeah, with time. Of course," she said.

She was lying but Roman needed to hear a little lie in that moment. He knew it was a lie, he knew his own words were a lie, but he felt stuck and just needed to tell himself that one day these two women would get along.

"Be down in the lobby around 10.30 tonight. We got plans to grab a late night pizza and I want you to come along," he said.  
"I'll be there," she said.  
"And order room service when you get hungry during the day. Anything you want. I can afford it," he said.  
"Sure thing," she said. "And thanks."

He nodded and then disappeared out of the room. As soon as she heard the door close, she let herself drop backwards to lie down on the bed, sighing loudly while staring at the ceiling. Eight long years. She had never thought she would see him again but not a day had gone by where he hadn't crossed her mind one way or another, not to mention how she had tortured herself by watching him on tv.

After a nap, room service, hours of uninteresting tv and a long hot shower, she found herself waiting down in the lobby in the only other pair of clothing from her backpack. A pair of worn out light blue jeans and a black Guns N Roses tee and of course her jacket. Soon wrestlers started coming in and suddenly that purple hair was all she saw across the lobby as Sasha stopped and looked at her from the door.

"Why is she still here?" Sasha hissed.  
"I asked her to," Seth was thinking on his feet.  
"Why would you do that? She's after my man!" She whined.  
"Because I like her and asked her out," he answered.

He looked up at Roman that gave him a little nod and mouthed the words "thank you". He smiled at his friend before crossing the floor to Sage that still stood there waiting in the other end of the lobby.

"Hey, are you ready?" He asked.  
"Yeah," she looked surprised that he was the one to get her.  
"By the way, this is a date," he said.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Just go with it. Sasha is having another fit over you," he said.  
"I'm totally in love with you," she joked.  
"How can you not be?" He grinned. "Just act interested. She's all up in herself and hardly ever looks up from her phone anyway. Just give me puppy eyes when she finally does."

Seth hadn't been lying. Sasha's face was constantly down in her phone, giggling stupidly from time to time at the texts Bayley was sending and really not paying any attention towards them at all. She seemed fake and Sage couldn't figure out what Roman saw in her. There had to be something hidden underneath all that superficiality.

"We leave tomorrow after breakfast. You want me to come get you or will you meet us down there?" Seth asked as he walked her to her room.  
"I'm a big girl, Seth. I can find my way around," she chuckled.  
"Alright. Sorry for putting all this on you. Roman really wants to keep everyone happy," he said.  
"His happiness is all that matters in this. If Sasha's the one for him, I'm not gonna stand in their way," she said.  
"You have a past," he said.  
"And they have a future," she cut him off.  
"Are you always this fast and snappy?" He laughed.  
"No, sometimes I leave without a word," she winked. "Goodnight, Seth."

She skipped breakfast next morning on purpose. She didn't want to be another reason for Sasha to see red. Roman deserved to be happy. Instead she waited by the car and when the guys finally came out, Roman looked unhappy and worried until he saw her. His entire face screamed of relief as he ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

"I thought you left," he said.  
"You don't have high thoughts about me," she said.

He released her from the hug and gave her a firm look instead.

"I guess I deserve that," she said. "Sorry Roman, I just wasn't hungry."  
"Bullshit!" He smirked. "You've always loved food. This is something else. Care to tell me?"  
"Nope. Are we going or not?" She asked.  
"Seth, stop somewhere to load up on some pastry for her," he said.

A couple of hours later and she once again found herself at a hotel room which he unlocked and walked into.

"How long are you planning to drag me around like this?" She asked.  
"As long as I can," he answered. "We're going home tomorrow night though."  
"Oh," she said.  
"You're coming with me," he said.  
"The fuck I am!" She said a little too loud.

He quickly closed the gab between them and took her in his arms.

"I don't live in that town anymore," he said.  
"Right, I forgot," she breathed out. "What about Sasha though?"  
"We don't live together yet. We've only been together for three months," he said.  
"You don't go home with each other?" She asked.  
"Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't," he answered.  
"And it's a don't this time?" She asked.  
"Yeah," he smiled. "But maybe we shouldn't tell her though."  
"Since when did I become your dirty little secret?" She laughed.

She laid low that day while they ran around performing at a house show. She met up with them next morning again for yet another car ride, only this time they were only going to an arena for RAW and then straight home.

"What are we gonna do with her?" Dean pointed a thumb backwards.  
"Ah shit, no hotel to leave you in and it's too late to get backstage passes for the arena," Roman said.  
"I can just walk around," she said.  
"Fuck, no," Roman growled.

Seth took out his phone and googled around for somewhere for her to be.

"There's a bookstore combined with coffee shop if you like to read," he offered.  
"Sounds good. Just a slight problem," she said.  
"What?" Seth asked.  
"Here," Roman handed her a credit card.  
"No, I can't possible..." She started.  
"And here's the code," he wrote down some numbers on a piece of paper. "Now I'm personally gonna walk you there and sit you down for a cup before I leave. I got a little spare time."

10 minutes later they sat at the place with a cup of coffee each. She looked at the many books, knowing time would fly fast in a place like this.

"Why didn't you ever try to contact me?" He broke her thoughts. "Eight years was a long time without a word."  
"And what would I have said? Hey Roman, I hear you got money and fame now. Care to take me back?" She asked.  
"It would at least have been something," he said.  
"I live from hand to mouth. I'm embarrassed, okay? I can't settle down anywhere or keep a job for long. I roll into a town, get a lousy job, earn enough to feed myself and rent a crappy room somewhere until I feel like the walls are closing in on me and then I leave again. That's what I do, Roman. I leave. You know that," she said.  
"But it wasn't me you ran away from," he said.

He reached over and took her hand. Why could she still get under his skin that easy after eight years of silence? He should be angry. He should be pissed off. But he wasn't. He was happy that he had finally found her again.

"I fly under the radar, okay? I dodge whatever bullet might be coming against me so that he'll never find me," she said.  
"You're still scared of him, aren't you, baby girl?" He asked softly.  
"Yes," she said lowly. "And please don't call me that."  
"Why not?" He asked.  
"It feels wrong. You should use those words on Sasha instead," she answered.  
"I call her bae," he said.  
"Bae?" She snorted. "You always hated words like that."  
"Yeah, well, baby girl was already taken," he winked. "And she likes words like that so I just went along with it. It doesn't really matter."

He reached into a pocket and fished out his phone and a headset. He unlocked the phone, clicked his way into the WWE network on it and handed it to her along with the headset.

"You can watch RAW on that. Then you'll know when we're done," he said.  
"Thanks," she said.  
"It's my personal guarantee. You're not gonna leave with my phone, are you?" He winked.  
"Not if there's a tracker on it," she stuck out her tongue and laughed.

He chuckled and got up to his feet, bowed down and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll walk back as soon as the show is over. I'll meet you by the car," she said.  
"I already booked you a plane ticket," he said.  
"You're too good to me," she said.  
"Yes, I am. Don't you forget it," he laughed.

She found a book to read and spent the afternoon buried in it while she bought something to drink and eat. She watched RAW on his phone and as the show finished, she got up, stretched her body and started the walk back. She was closing in on the car when she noticed Sasha standing there with the three men as well.

"Oh hi, Sage. You're still here?" Sasha put on a fake smile.  
"I am," Sage answered.

She handed Roman his phone back and his eyes just screamed of being one big apology. She took a couple of steps away, feeling she had walked in on something she shouldn't have, and the couple didn't waste any time in continuing what they had been doing.

"You can't just do that," Roman said.  
"Why not? You're my boyfriend. If I wanna go home with you, then you should be happy," Sasha said. "Unless there's suddenly a reason you don't want me to."

Sasha's eyes darted towards Sage briefly and it was clear that Sasha knew or at least suspected Sage was in Roman's plans.

"I just wanna have some days alone this time," Roman tried.

Sage's feet moved slowly and silently as she backed away from the car. She didn't want to stand in his way. After ten small steps or so, she turned around and continued forward. She hadn't gotten far when Seth suddenly stopped her with an arm around her shoulders.

"No!" He hissed lowly. "You don't get to leave him again."  
"They're fighting and it's my fault," she said.  
"I don't care. Get in the car. You're going home with me," he said.  
"What? I don't even know you," she said.  
"I don't care. Get in the fucking car," he said.

He spun her around and walked her back to the car where Roman had hurt in his eyes. Although Seth had stopped her, Roman clearly knew she had tried slipping away.

"Are you two done arguing? Sage and I would like to get on the road and since we're dropping you off at the airport, we can't really go until you get in the car," Seth said.  
"She's going home with you?" Sasha asked surprised.  
"Of course. Do you have a problem with that?" Seth asked.  
"No, no problem at all," Sasha smiled and this time it seemed real.

They all crawled into the car and Sage found herself next to Sasha in the back seat. She pushed herself as close to the door as possible, staring out of the window while Sasha wasted no time in leaning up against Roman and basically drooling all over him. She clearly needed to mark her territory. The airport was a welcome sight when it arrived although it was painful to say goodbye to Roman, especially since she couldn't hug him goodbye with Sasha not allowing her to get anywhere near him. Instead Sage crawled up on the front seat the second Dean left it empty.

"Finally!" Seth said once they were alone in the car. "That bitch is just too much."  
"Oh shit!" She took out Roman's credit card. "I forgot to give this back to him."  
"Guess we're going shopping tomorrow," he laughed.  
"No, we're not," she said.  
"Tomorrow morning I'll call him and tell him you got one of his cards. I bet you he'll order me to take you shopping," he chuckled.  
"I don't need anything," she said.  
"You got two sets of clothes and quite frankly, sweetheart, both of them smell by now," he said.  
"I haven't come across a washing machine," she tried.  
"I got one but you need more clothes and a bigger bag to transport it in," he said.

She sunk back in the seat while staring out on the dark road in front of them.

"Seth?" She asked nervously. "Why are you doing all this for me? Why do you even care about me?"  
"First of all, I like you. You've been nothing but friendly and funny around us," he answered.  
"And second of all?" She asked.

He turned his head and gave her a little secret smirk before reaching his hand forward and turning the volume up high. Metal music drowned out everything inside the car and made it impossible to hear each other.


	4. Sweet n sour

Seth walked out of his bedroom with his phone to his ear. Of course Roman had called first thing in the morning to check up on them, or to check up on her since he never called to check up on Seth unless there was an actual reason to.

"Just a second," Seth stopped in the livingroom and looked at the curled up blanket on the couch. "Huh? She's not here."  
"What do you mean she's not there?" Roman hissed.  
"Relax, big fellow. I hear water running," Seth answered.

He walked down the hallway and passed the closed bathroom door. Definitely water running.

"She's in the shower," he said.

He moved further ahead to his laundry room to see that she had taken out the clothes from the dryer. All his clothes was folded neatly, ready to be picked up and put away, while her clothes was gone.

"She's a little house wife. My clothes is folded," he chuckled. "If she cooks too, I'm keeping her."  
"You'll do no such thing!" Again Roman was hissing.  
"Light up, Roman, I'm only joking," Seth laughed. "Oh, shit, before I forget. She still has your credit card."  
"Take her out shopping," Roman said.  
"See, that's what I told her you would say," Seth said.

He moved back through the hallway just to hear that the water was no longer running. He walked to the bathroom door and knocked on it.

"What?" She shouted from the other side.  
"Roman's on the phone!" He shouted back.  
"Just a second!" She shouted.

He waited and put his phone on speaker. A few seconds later she opened the door with a towel wrapped around her body.

"And you're naked," he said.  
"She's naked? Why the fuck is she naked?" Roman shouted.  
"You're on speaker, big man," Seth laughed.  
"Shit!" Roman hissed.  
"I'm in a towel," she said. "I thought it was important since Seth banged on the door."  
"Credit card," Seth said.  
"Right, you're going shopping, baby girl," Roman said.  
"See, I told you so!" Seth said triumphantly.  
"You guys suck," she giggled. "Can I get dressed now?"  
"Don't walk around him naked. He has a bad track record with women," Roman said.  
"That'll be Dean," Seth cut in.  
"Him and you, both," Roman said.

She shook her head and retreated to the bathroom to get dressed. When she came back out, Seth was done on the phone and stood waiting.

"What?" She asked.  
"Shopping," he answered.  
"Seriously?" She asked.  
"Roman's order. I learned a long time ago not to go against him. He's too big for me to take," he laughed.  
"I thought you were one of the cool wrestlers," she said.  
"Hey!" He pointed a finger at her. "I have no scruples when it comes to taking you down and using you against him."

They spent some hours downtown before going to a supermarket for a bit of grocery shopping and then returning to his home in the middle of the afternoon. They went straight to the kitchen and she started dinner while Seth texted Roman.

 _"Mission complete. Returned to base with items. Subject cooks. I'm keeping it."_

He chuckled as he sent the childish message and he wasn't surprised when Roman responded very quickly.

 _"You'll do no such thing. Idiot! And thank you."_

"It's not often I get to be in a kitchen," she said.  
"What was that?" He looked up from his phone.  
"A kitchen. I like to cook but I get to do it very rarely," she said.  
"I just like having someone to cook for me," he said.

He enjoyed the homecooked meal. She really was good at cooking. After dinner they filled the dishwasher together when he received a group video call from Roman and Dean.

"It's the guys," he said.  
"Give them my best," she said.  
"I'm sure they wanna talk to you too," he said.  
"Bathroom," she smiled.

She moved out of the kitchen as Seth answered.

"Where's my girl?" Roman bit his lip the second he had let it slip.  
"Your girl?" Seth chuckled.  
"Shit!" Roman hissed lowly.  
"She's in the bathroom but since you just started that conversation, we might as well dive right into it," Seth said.  
"I didn't mean anything by it," Roman said.  
"Sure you didn't," Dean laughed. "Just like you never remember talking about her while being dead drunk."

Roman went silent and looked down from his screen.

"It is her you always talk about, right?" Seth asked.  
"Yeah," Roman answered.  
"It's okay," Dean said.  
"No, it isn't. It's not fair to anyone, her, me or Sasha, that I'm so hung up on the past," Roman said.  
"You never got closure," Seth said. "And on that note, I hear the toilet flush."

She came walking back out a minute later and Seth handed her the phone so she could greet the guys herself.

"Is he treating you alright?" Roman asked.  
"Yeah, he's a good guy," she answered.  
"And you went shopping?" He asked.  
"Yes," she answered.  
"That's good, baby girl. Keep him in line and remember, I'll kick his ass for you if he messes up," he smiled and winked.  
"Who are you talking to?" Sasha's voice sounded.

Sage quickly handed the phone back to Seth and got out of view before Sasha popped up next to Roman to see the faces of Dean and Seth on his phone.

"Just the guys," Roman answered.  
"Oh," Sasha shrugged. "Where's the ring rat?"  
"She's not a ring rat, Sasha, and I would appreciate if you don't talk that way about a woman I actually like," Seth said.  
"Please, Seth, you only met her a few days ago and you already got her in your bed for some fun times. Ring rat for sure no matter how you turn it around," Sasha said.

Sage shook her head and disappeared out of the kitchen while Seth continued defending her. She had heard enough. She moved to the livingroom and found the liquid cabinet. She took out a bottle of something saying it was sweet n sour flavoured. It didn't matter what it was as long as it was alcohol. When Seth finally came to join her, she was sitting on the couch with the bottle in her hand.

"Getting drunk won't solve anything. The world will still be the same tomorrow," he said.  
"But I won't have to deal with it tonight," she said and took a swig from the bottle.  
"Drink it. I don't mind. Empty my cabinet if you want. It's not gonna change a damn thing," he said.  
"Do you wanna join me?" She asked.  
"Sure, why not?" He answered.

He sat down next to her and she handed him the bottle. For a couple of hours they sat next to each other, drinking and talking, and she was getting drunk fast. When she reached for the bottle again, he moved it out of her reach.

"I think you've had enough now," he said.  
"I can still think," she said. "I don't like my thoughts."  
"Tough luck, sweetheart, you ain't getting anymore. Maybe we should turn in instead," he said.  
"Turn in," she giggled. "Yeah, let's turn in."

He was taken by surprise when she crawled up on his lap and placed her hands around his neck. She leaned down to kiss him but he turned his head so her lips connected with his cheek instead. He reached up to grab her wrists and pull her hands away from him.

"Come on, Seth, it's just sex," she tried.  
"Ain't gonna happen," he said.  
"Am I not good enough?" She asked.  
"It's not about that. You're a beautiful woman and you know that but you're not my type of woman. And I know someone who'll cut off my dick if I ever touch you," he said.  
"Why the fuck does he get to call the shots? He's got Sasha," she said.

He grabbed her hips and swung her down on her back. He was up on his feet, pulling the blanket over her, before she could reach for him again.

"Sleep," he said.

He moved over to the light switch and killed the light in the room. He moved towards the hallway but her voice stopped him.

"Seth?" Her voice quavered. "Does he love her?"  
"I think so," he answered.  
"Does she love him?" She asked.  
"I hope so," he answered.  
"I loved him too, you know," she said. "Like really, really loved him. He was my entire world."  
"I know," he said. "And you were his."

She tried to choke back her cries but he heard her. He put one hand up on the doorframe, debating in his head what to do. She was hurting but she clearly didn't want him to know. How he wanted Roman to be there right now. He always knew how to handle feelings a lot better than anyone else. Her cries turned into heavy breathing and he realized she had fallen asleep somehow. It was for the better. At least she wasn't hurting when she was sleeping. He left the room and walked to the bedroom where he picked up his phone and called Roman.

"Can you talk?" He asked.  
"Yeah, Sasha's going at it on the treadmill in the other room," Roman answered. "What is it?"  
"She got drunk and tried to hook up with me," Seth said.  
"What? I swear to god, Seth, if you touched her..." Roman sneered.  
"I didn't fucking touch her, okay?" Seth cut him off. "I would never do that to you. Besides, she's not my type. And there's clearly still a whole lot of feelings there between the two of you that you both need to figure out."

Roman sighed deeply. It wasn't like him not to know what to do but he felt completely lost.

"I don't know what to do, Seth," he admitted.  
"I don't know either but you gotta figure it out. You can't keep both of them in your life. Sasha's never gonna stand for it and Sage is never gonna move on," Seth said.  
"Move on?" Roman asked.  
"Don't fucking deny it, Roman. You two have unfinished business. Like a whole fucking lot. Seeing you with Sasha hurts her just like you felt hurt a minute ago when you thought I had nailed her," Seth said.  
"It's just so fucking hard," Roman said.  
"I know, Roman, I know," Seth said.


	5. Trying

It turned out she was just like Roman when it came to being drunk and talking about him. She had no memory next morning. Seth could see the same look in her eyes as he had seen in Roman's on those days. She remembered just fine but it was easier to pretend not to. Like he had done with Roman, he pretended to believe her. In the end it was easier for him too.

"Are you excited to get back?" Seth asked.

It had been some good days having her in his house but he was more than ready to hand her over to Roman again as they were back on the road, closing in on the next location.

"I guess," she shrugged.  
"I know he misses you," he said.

She didn't answer but instead reached her hand forward to turn up the volume. He took the hint. Silence for the last 20 minutes until they reached the hotel.

"He already booked a room in your name," he informed her as they moved towards the entrance.

She nodded and followed him, allowing him to get the key cards for both their rooms. She took a deep breath as they stepped into the elevator.

"If you like, I can stay with you till he arrives," he offered.  
"No, I'll be fine. As long as there's a tv in the room, I'll make do," she said.  
"You really should get a phone. With the internet and everything, they're way more fun than a tv," he said.  
"Phones are traceable," she said.  
"Right. I keep forgetting about daddy dearest," he spat out the last two words in a sarcastic tone.  
"I wish I could forget too," she said lowly.

The elevator door opened and she stepped out, leaving him in the metal box with an uncomfortable feeling. He watched as she moved down the carpet covered hallway until the door closed again and took him further up to his and Dean's room.

"Can we not have this conversation again?" Roman sighed as he pulled out their bags.  
"All I'm saying is that she's only fucking Seth to stay near you," Sasha looked at her nails. "She's a fucking little ring rat."  
"Shut up!" He growled a bit too loud.  
"Excuse me? You don't get to tell me to shut up. I'm your girlfriend and no bitch is gonna take what's mine," she said.  
"Then fucking start acting like it!" He shouted.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

He closed the trunk and shook his head a bit while trying to calm himself down again.

"Have some faith in me. Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me? No! I'm faithful, I spent every night with you in every hotel room, I show you everyday just how much you mean to me. I'm not sleeping around, not with an old friend or some ring rat crossing my path. Why can't you trust me?" He asked.  
"It's her I don't trust," she answered.  
"Then trust that Seth will keep her interested in him," he sighed. "Don't you wanna see him happy too?"

He knew he had to lie in order to keep Sage close. He also knew Seth had been right that he couldn't keep both of them in his life but he just wasn't ready to let her go. He had only just found her again.

"I don't care about Seth and Dean. You know that. But if he can keep her away from you, fine, I'll try to be friendly around her," she said.  
"That's all I ask," he said.

Ten minutes later they were in their hotel room. She located some workout clothes in her suitcase, kissed him goodbye and went to find Bayley. It was a welcomed moment for him when she finally left. He changed his shirt and then went to Seth and Dean's room.

"Is she in her room?" He asked when Seth opened.  
"I think so. She didn't want my company," Seth answered.  
"Thank you for taking care of her," Roman said.  
"You're welcome but, Roman, it's not gonna happen again. I like her, I really do, but I'm not gonna continue dragging her back home with me just because you're unsure how to handle it all. It was a one time deal," Seth said.  
"I understand," Roman said.

Roman moved towards the elevator and Seth closed the door. He turned around to look at Dean that was lying across one of the beds.

"If he has any brains at all, he'll kick Sasha to the curb and take Sage back in," Dean said.  
"I'm with you on that but I'm afraid it isn't that easy," Seth said.  
"It's way easy. Kick Sasha out, fuck Sage tonight," Dean grinned.  
"Typical you to twist it around like that," Seth chuckled.

There was a knock on Sage's hotel door and she let out a little sigh before getting up from the bed. She hoped it wasn't Seth coming to check up on her. She really liked the man but she needed a little break away from him after being stuck with him for a few days. When she opened the door, she was immetiately swallowed by Roman's big arms as he moved her back to get into her room.

"God, I missed you," he mumbled down in her hair.  
"I can tell," she giggled.

He released her and smiled warmly at her.

"We're going out tonight after the show. We'll come pick you up so be in the lobby," he said.  
"Is that wise?" She asked.  
"Sasha's promised to give you a chance," he said.  
"As long as I'm dating Seth, right?" She asked.

He didn't need to answer that. She could see the answer written all over his face.

"I don't get why I have to pretend around her. It's been eight years. It's not like I'm just gonna walk in and claim back what's..." She stopped herself and finished the sentence in her head instead.

 _"What's mine."_

She sighed and moved away from him. He wasn't hers anymore. She lost the right to have him eight years ago when she disappeared without a word. She turned her back against him but he was there fast like a cat, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I never forgot you," he said.  
"Roman," she sighed.  
"Not for one single day," he said.

She reached a hand up to run her fingertips over the back of his hand and she felt him shiver just slightly behind her.

"It's important to me that you stay," he said. "I don't think you can imagine the pain, the hurt, all the fucking torment I had to to go through. I don't think I can deal with losing you again. Please, stay. Just for a little longer."  
"I guess I owe you that much," she said.  
"Yeah, you do," he squeezed her a little.  
"I'm so sorry, Roman. I really am. Had I come just two minutes earlier or two minutes later, I wouldn't have seen you laugh and look so carefree through the window. I never would have left," she started crying.  
"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly.

He turned her around in his arms and smiled at her.

"I've told you, I'm not mad. I forgive you. I wish I had heard from you though. I would have come join you in a heartbeat," he said.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered.  
"It's in the past, okay? Time to move forward. We're here. We found each other again. We'll make it work as friends, right?" He asked.  
"Right," she nodded. "Friends."  
"Good friends," he smiled.

She was surprised to see that Sasha actually smiled at her that evening as they all picked her up in the lobby. The smile was clearly fake and Sasha grabbed on to Roman's arm a little tighter to show he was hers but at least she smiled. She was trying as Roman had said she would and Sage forced a smile back.

"Bae, I wanna go to Seaworld," Sasha whined after they were done eating.  
"Right now?" Roman chuckled.  
"No, but soon," she gave him puppy eyes. "Please."  
"It's not really my thing," he tried.

He scratched his head while his eyes met Sage's over the table. She sighed and shook her head slowly. Clearly Roman kept a lot of things from Sasha, including his disgust for seaworld and how the animals were being held there.

"Please," Sasha drew out the word like a child.  
"The animals aren't happy in there and you're basically paying to keep animal cruelty going," Sage said.

Roman clearly wasn't gonna say it although Sage knew that was how he felt about it so she chose to jump in and save him. Sasha already hated her so it didn't matter if she would hate her a little more. Sasha's eyes turned hard as she snapped her head to the side to look at Sage.

"No one asked you!" She hissed.  
"But it's true," Sage said.  
"No, it's not," Sasha looked at Roman again. "Tell her it's not true. She's lying."

Roman felt trapped. Sasha was clearly trying to play him against Sage and make him take her side. It didn't matter how he felt about it. Sasha was gonna throw a fit if he didn't take her side.

"Actually, it is," Dean chose to jump in to save Roman. "Go watch documentaries like The Cove and Blackfish. Animals like that should never be kept in captivity."

He leaned back in his seat and threw the cap from his coke bottle across the table. Clearly he was just saying what was truly on his mind.

"Those poor animals suffer a great deal. It's fucked up and wrong on so many levels," he continued.  
"Bae?" Sasha seemed to waver a bit.  
"Dean's telling the truth. You really should watch those documentaries before making up your mind," Roman said.  
"Fine, I'll watch them when I go home. Bayley's coming to stay with me this time for some girly time," she said.

Roman's eyes burned bright at those words as he once again looked across the table to find Sage's eyes. She knew what it meant. She could see it in his eyes. She didn't have to worry about where she was gonna go once they were to return from the road in a couple of days. He wasn't gonna let her go anywhere else but with him.


	6. Memories

Sage felt nervous and uncomfortable, like his dirty little secret, as she waited in her hotel room. The final room before going home with him. She swallowed hard and dried her clammy hands on her jeans. She didn't even know why she felt so nervous. There was nothing going on between them. She had made sure to kill that eight years ago. And still she felt like the first time she was with him.

 _"Wow, who punched you?" He asked._

 _She looked down ashamed while trying to dry her eyes that suddenly felt wet all over again. Some stranger, a gorgeous stranger but a stranger nonetheless, was standing right there asking her that question._

 _"Ah fuck, I just messed up big time, didn't I?" He asked._  
 _"No, it's not your fault," she said lowly._  
 _"I thought it would be a cool opener to come talk with you but I can see I was wrong. I'm sorry," he said._

 _She looked up and met his eyes. He was sorry? Why was he sorry? And why did it feel so weird hearing those words coming from a man? Maybe because her father was never sorry. He made sure that she felt like the sorry one._

 _"I walked into a door," she said._  
 _"Does that lie ever work on anyone?" He grabbed her jaw gently and turned her head a bit so he could take a better look at her black eye. "Please don't tell me that you have an abusive prick of a boyfriend."_  
 _"I don't have a boyfriend," she said._  
 _"That's good. I would hate having to start out by beating up someone else," he said with a smile._

 _She laughed a little and it felt good to actually feel a little slice of insouciance in all the mess._

 _"What's your name?" He asked._  
 _"Sage," she answered._  
 _"I'm Roman," he said._  
 _"You're beautiful," she bit her tongue. "I mean, nice meeting you."_

 _He let out a loud laugh at her slip up._

 _"Guess I'm the one that just messed up big time," she blushed._  
 _"I thought I would be the first one to say those words," he smiled warmly. "You're beautiful too. Now, care to tell me who punched you? I'll totally kick the prick's ass."_  
 _"I'd rather not talk about it," she said._  
 _"Care to spend the day with me then?" He asked._  
 _"Wow, you're straight forward," she said._  
 _"I just got a feeling I shouldn't let you get away," he chuckled._

She sighed at the memory, especially when it moved into several hours later and she had ended in his bed. She didn't usually jump into bed with men on the first day but for some reason she just felt like she needed to be with him. It had been hot and passionated and everything she had ever wanted to feel from a man.

 _She looked at him while he laid there with closed eyes and a smile on his face. His arm was across her waist and he pulled her close, clumsily kissing half her mouth as he still had his eyes closed while blindly searching for her lips._

 _"Do you wanna stay the night?" He asked._  
 _"It was my father," she blurted out._  
 _"You wanna call him to tell him you're not coming home?" He asked._  
 _"It was my father who punched me," she said._  
 _"What?" He raised his head and stared at her with wide eyes._  
 _"I'm sorry," she said._

 _She tried getting up. She knew she had pushed her luck. She had just met this man about half a day earlier and he had already made her push so many limits within herself without even asking her. She wanted to push them but this one she had pushed too far. She had to get out of there but he held on to her tightly while looking at her._

 _"Tell me," he said._  
 _"Tell you what?" She asked._  
 _"Everything," he answered. "Tell me everything."_

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. She dried her clammy hands one last time before moving over to let him in. There he stood, tall, dark, beautiful as ever, and she was about to go home with him. They were dancing with fire, they both knew it.

"Ready to go?" He asked.  
"As ready as I'll ever be," she answered.

It wasn't a long car ride. Only about 45 minutes and still it felt too long. None of them really knew what to say inside the car so they just kept quiet. She glanced at him from time to time. There was a time where he would casually have placed his hand on her thigh while driving, making her feel loved and wanted and safe. His arms were always a safe zone and yet she had run from him.

"So this is it," he stated the obvious as he turned off the engine.  
"Wow," she looked at the house. "You've done well."  
"I was hoping you'd like it. I remember how you would talk about your dream house and I kinda ended up with it," he confessed.  
"Roman," she closed her eyes briefly. "You should do what you want. Live your own life."  
"I have been. I just never let you go completely. And in the end I always wanted the same sort of home as you did," he said.

He opened the car door and turned to smile at her.

"Come on, let's get inside so I can show you around," he said.

She followed him while he showed her around. This truly was the dream home they often had talked about having once he made it big. He had made it. He had gotten his dreams. She didn't fit into them anymore though. Sasha was the one that should move in here at some point although she knew Sasha probably never would. The place was too low key and country for the city girl she clearly was.

"So I guess this is me," she said as he showed her the guest room.  
"I guess," he said.

Both of them looked uncomfortable and she chose to ease the mood.

"I'll be fine in here," she gave him a big smile. "Can I cook for you tonight?"  
"Sure," he smiled back. "Let's go grocery shopping."

He enjoyed watching her move around the kitchen. Seth was right. She was a little house wife. She was humming from time to time, always smiling when she turned around and looked at him, and he couldn't help but think this was exactly how he had always pictured their lives to be. Her at home, happy, safe and feeling completely loved, while he did everything in his power to keep her that way. And he would have loved her completely, with all his heart and soul. He would have given her the world.

"Can you get the milk for me?" She asked.

She was busy stirring the pot to keep it from burning. He got up from his seat and took the milk out of the fridge. Just as he reached her, she turned around, and they stood close. Too close. He had hugged her many times but this felt different. It felt homey, it felt good, it felt right. Just like he had always dreamed about. He wet his lips and looked at her. He wanted to kiss her so bad and by the look in her eyes, she felt it too. He bowed down a bit but before he could do anything he would regret, she took the milk carton out of his hand.

"Thank you," she turned back around. "Mind setting the table?"

He nodded even though she had her back against him. He knew she had just saved him from doing a stupid move that possibly could kill his relationship with Sasha. He moved away from her to get some plates from the cabinet.

They quickly found the warm and easy mood again once they were seated on opposite sides of the table. The hours went by too fast for his liking but he had to let her go when she decided to turn in for the night.

"Remember, I'm just two doors down," he said.  
"Sure, baby, I'll come running if the monsters try to get me," she said.

It was a slip up. She didn't mean to call him baby. She could see in his eyes that he had caught it. He tried keeping his smile down but the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

"Anyways, goodnight," she said.

She closed the door fast and held a hand over her pounding heart. It had been a bad idea to go home with him. He didn't deserve being put on the spot like that and he didn't deserve having to lie to his own girlfriend just to have her in his house. She had to do better. She nodded determined as she started undressing. Starting tomorrow she would be his friend and nothing else. Avoid as many hugs as possible and really think before talking. They couldn't cross the line. He didn't deserve it. He deserved to be happy.

She was already up and dressed when he got out of bed next morning. He had expected her to. She had always been the one to wake up first and he had woken up alone on many mornings back in the days but she always stayed around. He smiled at her as he walked out and saw she had made coffee. He moved towards her to hug her but she sidestepped him.

"Coffee's done but I already had breakfast so you're on your own," she said as she moved towards the door.  
"Where are you going?" He asked.  
"Just out for a run. I'll be back soon," she answered.

He frowned as she moved out of the house. It hadn't gone unnoticed that she had ducked his hug on purpose. He knew why she was doing it. It was typical her to try and put his happiness above her own and he knew she didn't wanna mess with his relationship in any way. He sighed as he moved to the livingroom and turned on the tv. He sat there for two hours before she finally came back.

"Long run," he said.  
"I stopped and looked around a bit. It's a nice town," she said. "Anyway, the shower is calling."  
"Maybe you should move here then," he said lowly.

She pretended not to hear him and moved through the room faster than necessary.

"Hey," he called.

She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Are we okay?" He asked.  
"Yeah, we're fine," she nodded. "Why?"  
"Just had to make sure," he said.  
"Okay then," she smiled. "Why don't you call Sasha while I'm showering? I'm sure she misses you."

She disappeared out in the bathroom and he grabbed his phone from the table in front of him. He turned it around in his hand several times before putting it back down. He could always call Sasha at some other time or she could call him.

He sighed as he heard the water start running. He closed his eyes and pictured her naked under the water, her hair all drenched and the way she bit her lip when he walked in and surprised her like he had done many times in the past. How he missed that sight and how he remembered it all too well despite the many years that had passed.


	7. Trust

It had been a couple of weird days, both good and bad, but mostly just weird for Roman. It had felt so good having her around like he used to picture it to be but she had distanced herself from him, bringing up Sasha more times than he had cared to hear his own girlfriend's name, constantly egging him on about calling or texting her. She made damn sure he never forgot he was in a relationship.

"Here we are," his voice sounded flat.

Back on the road, back to normality, back where he didn't want to be right now. He held it within, suffering in silence, put on his best smile as he once again walked into a hotel and up to a front desk to get two room keys instead of just one.

"So as usual we're going out tonight. It's a tradition on the first night back on the road," he said.  
"I think I'm gonna pass," she said.  
"No!" He raised his voice.

She frowned at him but he closed in on her so fast and took her in his arms, hugging the life out of her as if he was trying to make up for all the hugs she had dodged the last couple of days.

"You don't get to say no," he said.  
"Roman, I..." She started.  
"No, you don't get to say anything right now. You've been pulling away from me and I won't allow you to," he said.  
"I just feel it's better this way," she said.  
"Why? What's so wrong with us reconnecting and building up a friendship?" He asked.  
"You know why," she said lowly.

His phone buzzed and he growled irritated as he pulled it out. He didn't need to say it was Sasha. She could see it on his face. His girlfriend had arrived and wanted to know their room number.

"I'll see you later," he gave her a firm look. "And that's a fucking order."

She found her best set of puppy eyes, bashing her eyelashes like crazy at Seth, while Sasha's lips slowly curled up into a little smile. A real smile this time. Apparently Sage had just sold the game good with all her flirting while they had been out for pizza that night. She realized she had sold it way too well when she saw the look on Roman's face too. It actually looked like he bought it too. And that's when she realized that it might be for the better. Not that she wanted Seth and she wasn't gonna use him in a game against Roman but if he could somehow see she was moving on as well, he would have an easier time letting her go.

"So how does this thing actually go?" Sasha asked.  
"Huh?" Sage looked back at the other woman.  
"With Seth and Dean being in the same room and you spending the nights there," Sasha said.

Roman frowned at the unspoken allegation that came along with that question.

"I'm waiting for them to allow me to join in," Dean grinned.  
"Never gonna happen," Seth went along.  
"Truth be told, they're either very quiet or they're not doing it when we're on the road. It's so quiet that it's almost like they're not even in the same room," Dean winked.

Once again Roman frowned but it was aimed at Dean this time. Too close to the truth. Luckily Sasha didn't catch on at all.

"That sounds boring. No sex? I can't imagine that," she grabbed on to Roman's arm. "This one here is too good."

She smirked over the table, aiming that sleazy and smug smirk directly at Sage. Seth leaned in to kiss Sage's cheek, stealing her attention as he moved his lips to her ear to whisper lowly.

"Just the bitch marking her territory again. Let her piss. It's all she's good at," he whispered.

Sage let out a loud laugh and quickly clamped her hand over her mouth but it was too late.

"What's going on?" Roman asked.  
"Nothing," she laughed again. "Just Seth being Seth."  
"Is he whispering dirty things in your ear? Is that how you get off around me?" Dean snickered.  
"You know it," Seth grinned at Dean.

Two hours later they were all back in their hotel rooms. Roman couldn't find any rest after having sex with Sasha. She was already dozing off though.

"I'm just gonna go call my mom. I'll be right back," he said.  
"Sure, bae," she mumbled.

He put on a pair of workout shorts and moved out in the hallway. A small part of him believed while crossing the floor in their room that he actually was gonna call but that part died the second he closed the door behind him. He went straight to the elevator and found himself knowing on Sage's door a couple of minutes later. She opened the door, looking like she had been crying at some point with her eyes and face red and her hair a mess.

"Are you okay?" He stepped inside her room without being invited.  
"I'm fine. What do you want? It's late," she said.  
"I'm not actually sure," he confessed.  
"Couldn't you have waited till the morning where you might have it figured out then?" She asked.

He ran his fingers through his hair and took a step closer. He had to know. He couldn't find peace unless he knew.

"Is there something going on between you and Seth? Are you falling for him?" He asked.  
"Where is this coming from?" She crossed her arms.  
"He whispered something to you at the pizzeria and you seem infatuated by him," he said.  
"Would it be a problem?" She asked.  
"I don't like it. I don't want it," he answered truthfully.

He took another step forward but she took one backwards, not willing to let him further into her space.

"What did you do before you came here?" She asked.  
"I'm not sure I follow," he said.  
"Look at you!" She pointed a hand towards him. "You're still all sweaty and your hair is a mess and you're half naked. You just fucked Sasha and then came here."

He didn't say anything. He just stared at her.

"You're not even gonna deny it?" She asked.  
"I've never lied to you. I'm not about to start now," he answered.

She sighed and let her arms drop.

"There's nothing going on between Seth and I. You asked us to act like we're in love so we're acting. For you, Roman. So you can keep your precious little girlfriend happy. Don't start accusing us for something you want us to actually pretend," she said.  
"What did he whisper to you then?" He asked.  
"If you wanna know, ask him," she answered.  
"Really?" He asked annoyed.  
"I'm not about to break his trust just because you have some issues with your confidence," she answered.

He nodded and left it at that. She was right. He was the one asking for this from them and he was the one suddenly having a problem with it. It wasn't fair to neither of them. He trusted both of them. They would never go against him.

"I'm sorry. You're right," he said.  
"Can I go to bed now?" She asked.  
"There is something else. Sasha wants to go home with me again after RAW," he answered.  
"So?" She asked.  
"So what do I do with you?" He gave her a little smile.  
"I suvived eight years without you. I'm sure I can handle myself for a couple of days," she said.

Those words hurt them both. She hadn't meant to just put it out there again but once again they were reminded about the eight years that had gone by without them being in each other's lives.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Roman," she said.

He shook his head, not wanting to get into that conversation again at that late hour.

"I'm calling the hotel we're starting at when we hit the road again. You won't mind a mini vacation there, will you?" He tried sounding uplifting.  
"You don't have to..." She started.  
"Consider it done," he cut her off.

He took a step forward and pulled her into a hug before she could sidestep him again.

"Promise you'll be there when I get back," he said.  
"Where else would I go?" She asked.  
"I don't know but I don't want you to go anywhere else," he sounded broken. "Please, be there."  
"I'll be there," she said.  
"Promise?" He asked.  
"Yeah, I promise. I'll be there," she answered.  
"Promise to never leave me again?" He asked.  
"Roman, I said I'll be there. Now will you let me sleep, please?" She moved out of his arms.

She looked down to avoid his hurting eyes. She could promise to be there next week but she couldn't promise to be there forever. He didn't ask again. He took his hurt and pain with him as he left her room. He didn't go straight to his own room though. He went to Seth and Dean's room, knowing they both would still be up. Seth opened the door and the look in Roman's eyes alone was enough for him to step to the side and let him in without a word.

"I just need to hear it from you too," Roman sighed. "Are you falling for Sage?"  
"What? No!" Seth looked at him with wide eyes.  
"Sorry, my mind is a mess these days," Roman said.  
"I can see why," Seth said.  
"We can all see why," Dean joined in.  
"I feel so fucking lost," Roman choked back the tears. "What did you whisper to her at the pizzeria? You had her laughing for real. I've missed hearing that laugh."  
"I just told her my opinion about Sasha," Seth answered. "And you already know where I stand when it comes to her."

Roman sat down on Seth's bed and Seth followed immetiately while putting an arm over Roman's shoulders.

"You know I, well both me and Dean, keep it hidden around her and also around you because if you're happy, who are we do ruin that? But are you happy, Roman?" He asked.  
"I don't know. I'm not sure," Roman took a deep breath. "I don't think anyone over the years has been able to make me feel like Sage does... did."

He hoped they hadn't caught his slip up. If they did, they didn't call him out on it.

"Sage's a cool chick. We really like her. She's not judgemental or anything," Dean said.  
"I know," Roman said.  
"You need to think about it and you need to do it fast. You can't keep shipping her from hotel room to hotel room, expecting her to live a life both with you and without you," Seth said.  
"I just want everyone to get along somehow," Roman mumbled.  
"It's not about getting along and you fucking well know it," Seth raised his voice. "We're with you no matter what you choose. Sage, Sasha, someone else, hell, turn gay for all we care. We're your friends. But as your friends we also need to kick your ass from time to time in order to make you see straight."

Roman knew they were right. He just couldn't deal with it and therefore he let the next few days play out without getting into it. It wasn't until they were ready to go home that he realized he was about to set her free. She would have to travel to the next city alone. She didn't have a phone. She had his credit card and he could only hope she would actually be at the hotel once he got there. He had to trust she would keep her promise and not leave.

He didn't get much sleep the first night back home. Next to him in bed was Sasha, the woman he was supposed to love and be happy with, yet all he felt that night was fear. Fear he might have seen Sage for the last time. He gave up on sleeping and got out of bed early while Sasha slept for several more hours. She joined him in the kitchen when he was already way into coffee pot number 3.

"Bae, I wanna go to Seaworld today," she said.  
"Didn't you watch those documentaries?" He asked.  
"No, I don't care. I wanna go to Seaworld," she said.  
"We're not going to Seaworld," he mumbled.  
"I'm gonna shower and get ready and then we can make a day out of it," she said.  
"We're not going to Seaworld," he found his normal tone again.  
"Yes, we are," she said.  
"We're not going to fucking Seaworld!" He yelled. "You wanna go? Fine, just fucking go! But it's gonna be without me!"

He stared at her, anger clearly floating in his eyes, before stomping out of the kitchen.

"Bae, where are you going?" She asked desperately.  
"Out for a run!" He growled.


	8. Not letting go

"This is you, miss," the porter said as he opened the door.  
"What the...?" She stopped herself before letting out a swear word.  
"Will that be all?" He asked as he carried her bag inside.  
"Yes, that'll be all," she spun around. "Thank you."

He left the room and a little smile crept up on her face. That slick fucker had done it again. He had taken her by surprise. This wasn't a room. It was a suite. He hadn't been lying when he called it a mini vacation. There was a note left for her next to a basket of fruit and even though it wasn't Roman's hand writing, it was his words that he had dictated over the phone to someone when he booked it.

 _"I know what you're thinking. Don't. You deserve this. You got my credit card. Don't be afraid to use it. I'll see you in a couple of days. Don't run off. I hate the thought of losing my job because I have to go and hunt you down."_

She could practually hear him laughing after putting down that sentence. It made her laugh too. A mini vacation. She sure could use that after all those years running without ever stopping to breathe.

"Thank you, baby," she said out in the air as she grabbed a banana from the fruit basket.

Roman had a headache as he was driving back a couple of days later. Next to him Sasha was talking on her phone with Bayley, making plans on what to do when they arrived. After all, it had been three long days without seeing each other according to Sasha's side of the conversation. Roman's headache had been with him for those three days.

"We're here," he mumbled as he parked the car.  
"Oh my god, we're here, Bayley. Which room are you in? I'll be there soon," Sasha hung up.

He carried their bags inside, checked in and moved up to their room.

"I'll see you tonight at the arena," Sasha pulled him down for a quick kiss. "Bayley and I are going shopping."  
"Have fun," he said.

The second she was out the door, his headache magically disappeared. He waited for a couple of minutes before leaving the room too and heading upstairs for the suite. He started smiling before she even opened the door. The sound of her feet on the other side was enough.

"Did you order room service, ma'am?" He smiled at her.  
"I don't remember ordering something so hot that I'll burn myself," she smirked.  
"You still got game," he chuckled.

She turned around and walked back in, allowing him to follow her.

"Thank you for this, Roman," she held out her arms and spun back around. "It's been wonderful."  
"Only the best for you," he said.

Before she could lower her arms again, he was there, pulling her into a hug.

"I can't tell you how good it is to see you again," he said.  
"I promised you I'd be here," she said.  
"You did," he said and laughed a little.  
"So where's Sasha?" She asked as she moved out of his arms.  
"Out with Bayley," he answered.  
"You didn't feel like joining them?" She asked.  
"They're out shopping. I wasn't invited," he answered.  
"Ah, sucks," she said.  
"Not really. I was having a bad headache but it's better now and your smile is always a welcome sight," he said.

That night they all went out to eat again. Tradition, as Roman said. Once again acting like her and Seth were in love. Clearly Seth was growing tired of it and so was she.

"Maybe we should fake a break up too," she said as Seth walked her back to the suite.  
"And then what?" He asked.  
"And then we'll be free," she laughed. "Free as birds, Seth. Free to start dating again, only this time we'll find partners that actually want us."

He laughed too and shook his head.

"Hang in there, sweetheart, it's not gonna be forever," he said.

Moving on to the next town and downgrading to a normal hotel room again. She didn't mind though. She actually preferred it that way. Locked away in a tiny little room where no one, almost no one, knew where she was. She was used to living like that. It had become a safe way of living over the years. She hadn't realized till now how their ways of living had been so alike. Travelling from town to town, sleeping in one little room after the other. Only difference was that he had a home, a real permanent home, a place to go back to every once in a while.

She moved along with them again, not knowing where they actually went before getting there, and that was how she found herself in a place she didn't like that Sunday. It was too close to everything she had run from. Roman knew this and that was why he hurried back from the arena after the show to catch her in her room. She had hardly opened the door before he pushed his way in and closed it behind him. He dropped his jacket on the floor that had been hanging over his arm.

"I thought you would have run," he said.  
"Several times I almost did," she said.  
"We're only 30 minutes away. Maybe it's time to go back home and face the demons from your past," he said.

Her jaw dropped and she just stared at him. Did he honestly think she was gonna go home and face her past? Face that shit hole of a town and that shit man of a father?

"No," she whispered.  
"We can go together. Early tomorrow. We can make it back before RAW. I can visit my parents too. They'd love to see you too," he said.  
"No!" She bawled.

She hadn't meant to sound so angry but she had to cut him off right away. She didn't wanna go back there. Too much had happened in that place.

"You can't keep running," he sounded angry too.  
"It has worked fine till now," she said.  
"Eight years!" He bellowed. "You left me alone for eight fucking years! You didn't even care that you hurt me, did you? You didn't even care that I loved you!"  
"Excuse me?" She yelled. "I fucking loved you, Roman, and I still do! I never stopped! I screwed up everything and not a day goes by where I don't get to suffer from what I've done! I'm sorry! I'm so fucking sorry! How many times do I need to say that before you finally believe me?"  
"I don't want you to say it anymore!" He yelled back. "I don't want you to say anything at all!"

He strode towards her fast, pulling her into his arms and crashing his lips down on hers. They were both angry and they took it out in the kiss, pressing their lips against each other harder, biting down, trying to dominate each other. He kicked off his shoes before backing her towards the bed. She managed to grab his tee and pull it over his head before he did the same with her top.

"Baby," she whimpered as he yanked at her jeans in an attempt to open them.  
"I'm here, baby girl," he said.

He finally got her jeans open and pushed her down on the bed before leaning over her to yank them off her. He swallowed the sight of her in her light grey underwear. Finally he got to see that again.

He joined her on the bed, claiming her lips once again while she fumbled with his jeans. She got them opened and pushed down on the fabric. He moved his hands down to help, wiggling his way out of jeans, boxers and socks. There was no reason to not just get it all off right away. They both knew where this was heading and there was no turning back for them. Eight long years yearning after each other. They couldn't stop it even if they tried.

"You slick fucker," she giggled as he opened her bra with one swift move with only one of his hands.  
"I still got game too," he giggled back.

He threw the bra on the floor and moved his hands down to get her out of her panties and let them join the pile of clothes. He took one long look at her naked body. How he had missed that sight. So many things he wanted to do to her in that moment but she grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him up on top of her.

"Please, baby, I need you," she implored.

Just like that, he gave in. Touching her and tasting her could wait. His baby girl needed him and he needed her too. He rolled on top of her and slowly started pushing into her, happy to find that she was already wet without him actually touching her first. She whimpered and bit her lip as she felt him inside of her for the first time in eight long years.

"I love you, baby girl," he got out as he started thrusting and moaning. "Fucking always have."

He kept at it, thrust after thrust, moan after moan, not stopping until he had her crying under him and feeling how her walls squeezed him and demanded that he came too. And he gladly did. He thrust into her one last time and dropped down on her while they both panted. He slowly raised his head with a smile, one that she returned, and he kissed her more slow this time. He could kiss her for hours if he was allowed to. Just lying there with her, feeling her lips move with his and her body up against him.

"I... ehm..." She cleared her throat. "I need the bathroom."

He rolled off her and released her, something he didn't actually want to do but it was necessary. He watched her disappear into the bathroom and waited for her to come back. When she did, she opened her mouth to say something but he wasn't gonna let her. He grabbed her hands and pulled her back down on the bed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

"You found your way back to me," he said. "I'm not letting you go again."

He felt her relax in his arms. She didn't need to say anything back. Just the fact that it felt like the old days, that it felt right on every level, that was enough for him. She snuggled closer up against him and placed a kiss on his chest.

He fell asleep, feeling happy, shortly after. She felt happy too but there was something else lurking in the back of her mind. The longer she laid awake in his arms, the more her mind screamed at her. She finally gave up, moved quietly out of the bed and got dressed. He slept through it all, not knowing what was happening right next to him.

She felt the tears run down as she silently left the room and she let them fall freely without trying to stop them. She deserved the burning they left on her cheeks. There she was again, leaving the love of her life behind without a word, but it had to be done.


	9. Back home

A chill went down her spine as she passed the road sign. She was back, she was home, she was in a place she had never wanted to set foot again. Roman had been right. She couldn't keep running. She needed to face the past in order to ever build a future.

It was hard getting out of the car but she couldn't stay. He was a stranger sitting next to her, he owned the car, and she doubted he would want to spend the rest of the night with her in his car. She thanked him and watched as he drove away. She turned around and looked at the house while swallowing hard. She grew up in that house but there wasn't many good memories from it. It had been her own personal prison and hell.

She walked up the driveway and stopped in front of the door. She didn't wanna knock or alert him in any way. He might be asleep but there was a good chance he was awake. He stayed awake most nights, drinking for hours, crashing once the sun rose. She had always wondered how he had managed to keep his job as a sheriff for that long while being an alcoholic.

She dug into her pocket and pulled out the key. She had left everything back in the hotel room, the suitcase and the clothes bought with Roman's money, but that old silver key had made it with her for all those years, always hidden away in the bottom of a bag or a pocket. Maybe she had always known she would use it one day again. Her hand was shaking as she put the key in the lock and turned it. Still the same lock and why wouldn't it be? There hadn't been any reason for him to change it.

She moved into the house, remembering the way clearly to the livingroom, and as expected she found him in there in the same old ugly chair and a glass of cheap scotch in his hand. He looked at her in disbelief and ran a hand over his eyes as if he thought the alcohol was making him see things.

"Sage?" He asked.  
"Yeah," she shifted on her feet.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked.  
"I came to talk," she answered.  
"About what?" He asked.  
"The past. Everything you did," she answered.  
"I did what I had to do," he growled.  
"What you had to do?" She yelled. "You fucking beat up mom and me! What did we ever do to you? What did I ever do to you?"

He staggered to his feet, not able to walk straight from the alcohol in his system, and he slowly crossed the floor one uneasy step after the other, trying to get closer to her.

"Your mother was a whore and you..." He sneered. "You were born!"  
"Well, that wasn't my fucking choice, was it?" She yelled.  
"No, it was your mother's. I never wanted you to begin with. And you look just like her. No child of mine is supposed to look like that whore," he said.  
"So that's it? I look like her so therefore I had to be punished?" She asked.  
"And you acted like her. Fucking whoring yourself out, always running around with that Roman boy," he said.  
"He loved me!" She shouted. "He still does and I still love him too! Running away from you couldn't keep us apart!"

His face faltered a bit, not knowing what to make out of those words. Roman had stayed in town for a little while after her, actually looking for her like crazy, before he finally moved on to train to become a wrestler. Over the years he often came back to visit his parents, sometimes alone, sometimes with a girlfriend. Not once had she been the one holding his hand and he would know. He always kept his eyes on Roman when he rolled into town.

"Yeah, we found each other again," she licked her lips and smirked a bit. "Nothing can keep us apart apparently. Not you, not this town, not even eight fucking years."  
"You will do as I say!" He yelled.  
"Or what? You'll get your gun and threaten to shoot me? Oh wait, you're not sheriff anymore. You don't own a gun anymore. You're nothing but a pathetic little drunk and you got no power over me," she said.

He turned to his old way of talking, his fists, taking a swing at her but she sidestepped him and he spun around on the spot instead, looking in the other direction without his mind being able to follow completely.

"Huh?" He asked confused.

She pushed him hard in the back and he tripped over his own feet, falling face first down on the floor. He moaned a little as he rolled over on his side, just enough to be able to look up at her. The little scared girl was long gone. She dropped the silver key down next to his face. She didn't need it anymore.

"You're a fucking joke!" She said coolly.

Roman woke up and before he even opened his eyes, he knew it. He felt it. Everything felt wrong. The bed was cold and empty and even though the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes and sat up fast was her suitcase, he just knew she was gone.

"No!" He shouted.

He jumped out of bed and dressed in record time. No way was this how it all would end. He wouldn't allow it. He left her room, ran down the stairs and almost knocked over Seth and Dean as he slammed the door open to the hallway they all had their rooms in.

"What the hell? Roman?" Dean asked.  
"She's gone!" Roman growled.

He continued walking in anger and his two friends followed behind him. He reached his room and opened the door where he was met by an angry Sasha.

"Where the fuck were you all night?" She shouted.  
"With Sage," he answered.  
"You're fucking cheating on me now?" She shouted. "I knew it! She's a fucking ring rat, a fucking little slut, a cum-covered..."  
"You shut the fuck up!" He shouted as loud as he could.

She stared at him in shock. Never had he shouted at her like that before. She knew he was pissed off.

"Get out!" He barked.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Get the fuck out of my life!" He barked. "We're done!"  
"No, I didn't mean it like that. Please, bae, we can..." She started.  
"I said get out!" Once again he shouted as loud as he could.

She ran to her suitcase without arguing further with him. He didn't even wanna wait till she was done. She would leave the room and he didn't need to be there for it. Instead he turned to his two friends again.

"Keys!" He demanded.

Seth found the car keys and handed them to him.

"Where are you going?" He asked.  
"To get her," Roman said.  
"Do you know where she went?" Seth asked.  
"There's only one place she could have gone after last night," Roman started moving towards the elevator. "I'm sure of it."  
"Hey Roman!" Dean called.

Roman turned around to see Dean standing there with the biggest grin on his face and two thumbs up. He didn't actually need to say anything. Roman knew exactly what he meant and he nodded back.

"What about RAW?" Seth asked as the elevator door opened.  
"I'll be back in time," Roman said as he stepped in. "You two work on getting me another backstage pass."

40 minutes later he found himself sitting in his car, looking up at her father's house. He had been in that house a few times but he was never welcome. Her father wanted to own every part of her but he hadn't been able to threaten Roman to go away even though he had tried. He left the car and walked determined towards the front door, finding it unlocked. He walked in without knocking, straight to the livingroom that smelled sour and stuffy. He found her father there, sitting on his chair, his face actually red from crying.

"Oh, you're here too!" He spat once he saw Roman.  
"She's still here?" Roman asked.

Her father shook his head no while reaching for his glass of scotch again.

"No, that little bitch left me, just like her whore-mother did," he said.  
"You fucking deserve it!" Roman sneered. "You never were man enough to keep anybody in your life. You had to threaten people to get your way. Even when she was here, you were alone. Alone and miserable and fucking pathetic. You'll always be alone. You'll fucking die alone."

He spun around and left the house. He knew she had gone back there, he just knew it, just like he also knew where he could find her now. The same place they had met the first time almost ten years ago.

He parked the car and moved towards the little fast food joint. He didn't even care to look through the windows. He knew he wouldn't find her in there. She would be behind the building, sitting on that ugly green painted bench, staring straight ahead while trying to make sense of her thoughts.

As he turned the corner, he stopped for a second. She sat there as expected with her back against him, not knowing she once again had been spotted by him like the first time. He moved towards her, afraid what he might find on her face after having visited her father.

"Baby girl," he said softly as his hand landed on her shoulder.

She turned her head and he breathed a sigh of relief. Her face was red but it was red from tears, not from being knocked around by her father's unwelcomed fists.

"I knew you'd find me here," she smiled through her tears.

He sat down next to her, placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Why did you leave? I would have come with you," he said.  
"Exactly. I needed to see him alone," she said.  
"How did you even get here?" He asked.  
"I took a cab," she answered and fished out his credit card. "Sorry about the bill."

He let out a chuckle as he closed his hand over hers.

"Keep it for now. At least until we get you your own card," he said.

She turned her head to look at him and he couldn't help but chuckle again by the look on her face.

"You don't honestly think I'm gonna let you get away again, do you?" He asked.  
"But Sasha..." She started.  
"Over and done. I kicked her out this morning," he said.  
"You shouldn't have," she said.  
"Yeah, I should. A long time ago actually. That was a dead end street to begin with and I wasn't happy from the start. I just needed someone to fill the empty void inside me but it didn't work," he said. "And do you know why?"  
"No," she said.  
"Because you left that void and only you can fill it," he smiled.  
"You sound like a cheasy lovesong now," she said.  
"Don't make me start singing. I'll do it if it'll help convince you," he said.  
"No no, I believe you," she laughed.

He leaned down to kiss her softly. For a while they just sat there, kissing and holding on to each other.

"Let's go visit my parents. I bet mom is willing to feed us lunch. And then head back. I still have RAW to attend," he said.  
"And then what?" She asked.  
"And then we go home," he said.  
"Home," she sighed dreamingly.  
"It was always meant to be our home. I bought it with you in mind. I think that maybe somehow I always knew we'd find each other again. I had many dark hours thinking you were dead but I always felt you in my heart. You never left," he said.  
"Baby, I'm so sor..." She started.

He shushed her with a finger on her lips and laughed a little.

"I told you last night that I don't wanna hear you say that anymore," he moved his finger and gave her a little kiss. "You're here now, baby girl. That's all that matters."

Dean and Seth were waiting outside the arena that afternoon. Dean had refused to leave Stephanie alone until he had finally gotten a backstage pass and now they were waiting for Roman and Sage to arrive.

"There they are," he said and pointed.

Roman parked the car and shortly after the couple came walking hand in hand with big smiles on their faces.

"That's what I like to see. A real smile on the big fellow's face," Seth said.  
"Yeah yeah, cut it out," Roman chuckled.  
"Does this mean you're breaking up with me?" Seth looked at her.  
"Sorry, Seth, we just wouldn't have worked out," she laughed.  
"Oh, the heartache!" He placed a hand over his chest.

They had hardly moved into the arena before Hunter approached them and asked for Roman to follow. Roman left Sage in the hands of Seth and Dean while following Hunter to his office.

"Sasha came to me today," Hunter said.  
"And?" Roman asked.  
"And she's angry. She said you dumped her," Hunter said.  
"I did," Roman rubbed his forehead. "You know me, Hunter. I can do this job like I'm supposed to. I can act civilized around her."  
"But I don't think she can do that too. Not with the way she was raging," Hunter said.  
"So am I gonna be punished for this?" Roman asked.  
"What? No, not at all. We gave her and Bayley the week off and next week they'll be moved to SmackDown. Creative is dying to work on another four horsewomen storyline again anyway so it's gonna be a win for everyone," Hunter said.  
"Thank you," Roman said.  
"But that woman you were just with, is there something I need to know?" Hunter asked.  
"It's Sage and I'll be more than happy on filling you in on our history but it's a long one," Roman smiled.  
"Over a beer one day?" Hunter smirked.  
"Sure thing," Roman said.

After leaving Hunter's office, Roman found Sage, Seth and Dean down by the ring where they were just hanging out and talking. He stopped and crossed his arms, smiling while he watched how well those three were getting along together. It was all he could have dreamed of and there it was happening right in front of him.

"They haven't driven you insane yet?" He asked as he finally made his presence known.  
"Oh no, they're just showing me the ring up close," she said.

He went over to her, placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up to sit on the apron. He moved in between her legs and held his hands around her lower back while kissing her softly.

"Close enough for you now?" He asked.  
"I don't care as much for the ring as for my man inside it," she giggled.  
"Oh, your man? Is that what I am again?" He teased. "You're gonna get a front row seat tonight so you can drool all over the sight of me inside this ring."  
"I'm gonna drool all over you later," she said.  
"I'm not as interested in your drool as I am in another body fluid of yours," he said.  
"Roman!" She gasped.  
"Sage!" He returned the gasp with a chuckle before leaning in to her ear. "Last night I only got to fuck you simply because neither of us could wait anymore. What do you think I'm gonna do to you tonight before fucking you?"  
"Eight years and still as dirty as you were when you were 24," she laughed.

Seth and Dean both cleared their throats to get Roman and Sage's attention again.

"This is getting slightly awkward," Seth said.  
"We need to find him an actual girlfriend," she joked.  
"So what's the plan from here?" Dean asked.  
"After RAW I'm taking my baby girl home," Roman answered. "Back home where she always belonged."


End file.
